The Yankees would buy themselves an extra year of control by having infield prospect Gleyber Torres spend at least 16 days in the minors this year, but that’s not going to factor into whether he earns a roster spot, according to GM Brian Cashman (via David Lennon of Newsday). “It’s not part of my evaluation process,” Cashman told Lennon. “We’re trying to win. If we feel that somebody could benefit from more time in the minors, we’ll make that decision at the end of camp. But I’ll take all the information from what I see and factor that into the evaluation. Every win for us is valuable.” Torres, one of the game’s top prospects, may well emerge as the Opening Day second baseman for the Yankees, who lack an obvious solution there. That would be especially impressive given that Torres is still just 21 and has only totaled 235 plate appearances above the High-A level. He raked over that sample size last year, with a .287/.383/.430 line between Double-A and Triple-A, before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery on his left (non-throwing) elbow in June. Torres has fully recovered from the procedure.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Yankees must make the best of a difficult situation

TAMPA — It’s mid-February, and Jacoby Ellsbury is still wearing pinstripes, so the 34-year-old veteran and the Yankees are just going to have to make it work.

The Bombers have tried all offseason to move Ellsbury, but the three years and $68 million remaining on his contract have made that pipe dream a fruitless endeavor. The team never asked him to waive his no-trade clause, he said. Of course, it’s likely because no team wants him —even at half that price.

So Ellsbury has come into spring training as the team’s backup center fielder, hoping he can somehow unseat favorite Aaron Hicks and get his old job back. As usual, Ellsbury’s answers were pretty programmed. Here’s the annual soundtrack when you press play:

“Every year, you come in and compete,” Ellsbury said Sunday. “There’s never been one year that the lineup has been made already in my 10 years in the big leagues. Everyone comes in, works hard, and there’s not a lineup made up yet. That’s how I look at it.”

Both sides are to blame for why it’s gotten to this point.

Ellsbury didn’t give himself seven years and $153 million in 2014. The team did. And now, because he’s fallen behind Hicks on the depth chart — dating back to last postseason — Ellsbury’s albatross contract has become a continual headache for the Yankees as they look to improve their roster while staying under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold.

And yet, from Ellsbury’s perspective, you wonder why he hasn’t pushed harder to get out of town and find a fresh start elsewhere. Maybe the opportunity simply isn’t available, and there is no sense being a malcontent.

He certainly could’ve played better, too. Being a 1.7 WAR player when you make $21 million a year and don’t appear to bring any extra intangible qualities to the ballpark doesn't play well.

“I’m not getting into that right now,” Ellsbury said when asked if he’d rather be a role player in New York compared to a starter on another team.

“We haven’t started day one yet. Like I’ve said, I can only control what I can control, and that’s going out there and preparing.”

As it stands, Ellsbury, who also unfortunately dealt with a concussion in 2017, provides depth in the event that Hicks or Gardner gets hurt.

So yes, Ellsbury is still a Yankee: whether the team or fans want him to be or not.

When he plays in a crowded outfield/DH spot remains TBD, as does how he handles such a lesser role over a full, 162-game campaign.

“We can't ignore what Hicks was able to do last year,” Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, (Giancarlo) Stanton and (Aaron) Judge are going to be in the lineup in some way, shape and form pretty much every day. Gardy has earned (similar consideration) with the level of consistency of his play. Now, with Gardy, there are going to be times where we try to pick a few more spots than he has in the past couple years where he will be off — against a lefty, say — but that’s more about preservation because we feel like we have the depth of those outfielders that we’re not going to have any dropoff when we decide to rest guys.”

It’s time for both sides to make the best of a difficult situation.

“I just know I have a ton of baseball left and I’m excited to just go out there and play,” Ellsbury said. “That’s really it.”

He'd be a good fit in the Bronx, but can they make it work and still stay under the luxury tax threshold?

We're headed toward late February and third baseman Mike Moustakas -- coming off a 38-homer season in 2017 -- remains unsigned. That's the case for a number of notable free agents, as so often discussed this winter. The market for Moustakas, though, may be thin even by those standards.

In part, that because the Padres recently inked Moustakas' former Royals teammate Eric Hosmer to an eight-year contract. Royals general manager Dayton Moore had been holding out hope for a "reunion tour" of sorts with Hosmer and perhaps Moustakas, but the Padres' bold bid has likely snuffed out those plans ...

By extension, that also means that Moustakas probably won't be going back to Kansas City. Eyeball the depth charts, and natural fits for Moustakas are hard to find. The Cardinals have been linked to him, but they don't seem inclined to make any further notable additions, at least in terms of hitters. Between a healthy Matt Carpenter and Jedd Gyorko, the Cardinals, you could argue, should be fine at the hot corner. Absent any trades that create roster holes, the Yankees may be the most logical landing spot for Moustakas. Such a pairing has of course been rumored for some time.

The issue for the Yankees, though, is their determination to stay under the competitive balance tax threshold -- informally known as the "luxury tax" threshold -- for 2018. Said limit is $197 million for 2018, and the Yankees have roughly $15 million to spend and still meet that goal. Coming into the current offseason, signing Moustakas, who's 29 and has a strong history of hitting for power and adding value with the glove, for $15 million per seemed an unlikely proposition. But things haven't unfolded as anticipated.

First, he's very much a fit for the Yankees. Presently, they have Miguel Andujarpenciled in as their regular third baseman. The 23-year-old is generally regarded as a top-100 prospect, and as such he has long-term potential. Obviously, though, he's not a guarantee to produce right away. Unlike Andujar, Moustakas is more of a known quantity in the here and now, and also unlike Andjuar he hits from the left side. Speaking of which, take a look at Moustakas' spray charts from the last five seasons:

FanGraphs.com

Note the home runs in black. That, people, is left-handed pull power, and that's an ideal fit for Yankee Stadium, especially when fellow boppers Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez all hit from the right side. So Moustakas pins down third, and in doing so he doesn't block the path of top prospect Gleyber Torres, who could very soon fill the void at second base or perhaps dislodge Didi Gregorius at short.

Now, the money ... Moustakas doesn't have much of a market right now, and he also turned down a qualifying offer from the Royals, which means that signing him will cost his new team a draft pick or two and perhaps some international signing bonus money. Those are significant hits, and that will be reflected in whatever contract he eventually signs. The hope for the Yankees is that Moustakas' post-Royals market is so diminished that he's willing to take a one-year "pillow" contract and try the market again next year heading into his age-30 campaign. Whether he'd do that and take a mere $15 million or so is far from certain. (Perhaps the Yankees would need to clear additional budget space by, say, stapling a couple of prospects to Jacoby Ellsbury'scontract.)

All that said, what we may be seeing is a slow-moving market as opposed to a market that favors the buyer to any extreme. If that's the case, then the Yankees aren't going to be able to afford Moustakas while resetting their tax penalties. After parting ways with Starlin Castro and Chase Headley this winter, though, the Yankees may need some reliability in the infield. Moustakas would give them that and then some, and the going rates might be such that signing Moose doesn't compromise their long-term vision. Maybe none of that comes to pass, but the Royals' newly cemented status as rebuilders makes it more of a possibility.

Cut4 | Michael Clair: I know we’ve talked a lot about the duo of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, but let’s not forget that “Gary is scary.” Gary Sanchez took batting practice yesterday and took a second to remind baseballs that they also have to fear the Kraken and not just Judge and Stanton by literally smashing the cover off a ball. Rest in peace, baseball. You served your purpose well. /pours one out

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Now that Sanchez has done his part to remind baseballs why they should be afraid, it’s Judge and Stanton’s turns to show baseballs why they should be afraid. Judge and Stanton are set to hit in the same batting practice group today, and oh man...those baseballs had families! In good news, however, even though Judge will be held out the first few Grapefruit League games as a precaution for his shoulder, he’s been 100% cleared to participate in on-field hitting drills.

New York Post | Dan Martin: Albert Abreu, who’s drawn comparisons to Luis Severino, has yet to throw a pitch this spring. Currently sidelined as he recovers from appendicitis, his health hasn’t been on his side recently as he was limited to just 14 games last year due to shoulder and elbow issues. Abreu is hoping to resume baseball activities by the end of the week so he can show the Yankees what he’s got and the Yankees, especially Severino and Larry Rothschild, are eager to see what the hype is about for themselves.